It’s So Moronic, It’s Gotta Be A Joke!!

The latest cartoon to be published by Charlie Hebdo follows the arrest of Peter Cherif, who is suspected of being behind the attack on the journal, in January 2015. The cartoon is one of the best Christmas presents that you could wish for. For all those who value freedom of speech and the right to satire, the fact that Charlie Hebdo can make fun of its darkest hour, is a testimony of all the values we consider as fundamental to our very existence.

The caption reads, “Come by our offices, when you have 5 minutes.” Why not indeed – to have drinks with the survivors of the horrendous attack, and to answer a question that is even more cretinous than the attack itself, namely, “WHY?”

Charlie Hebdo’s response to Cherif’s arrest borders on the sublimely religious. It is a picture of Jesus offering his left cheek, after his right cheek has been lacerated by the sharp blade of human stupidity. In the same way that Winston Churchill would never surrender to evil of Nazism, our good old Charlie will never give up making fun of just about everything on our planet. Even in the face of adversity, he will always have a pencil and a piece of paper, in the top drawer of the office desk or the bedside table – just in case.

Charlie Hebdo’s cartoon is a lesson for us all, simple mortals that we are. We must never trade our souls, give in to threats, blackmail, and intolerance, that are the hallmarks of religious fundamentalism. Let’s continue to make fun of everything under the sun. Let’s continue to have drinks in cafés and bars, to attend concerts, and visit Christmas markets. Without fear, without after-thoughts and, above all, without respite.

The victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack will not come back, but one thing is certain: the latest Charlie Hebdo cartoon brought a grin to their face, from ear to ear – if they had ears, that is!

gskaye

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One Expat And His Blog

Welcome to CRYSTAL HORIZONS. The blog after the blog before. The "shares" have disappeared, but the posts haven't.
If you think that 2018 was eventful, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
This blog was originally about the EU and Brexit. Understandable because I’m half a British expat living in continental Europe (my other half is French). In my intro page I did mention that this blog is like cheese and will mature, and so it has... It has now acquired a new name - CRYSTAL HORIZONS.
So many things are happening in the world that it’s obvious that not everything revolves around Brexit. My opinions haven’t changed though, and I still think that smashing the EU door is certainly not the political answer to the UK's philosophical dream.
As for the blog, it still revolves around philosophy, politics and has a tinge of satire. Can philosophers and other learned individuals help me understand what the hell is going on?

Take Your Pick

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On 23rd January, 2017,the Dutch centre-right prime minister Mark Rutte wrote an open letter which was widely published in the national press. As a non-Dutch national, I would like to respond to comments he made in that letter. The present post is based on my previous post written in Dutch. It wasn’t easy for me...
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This week, the UK parliament approved a bill giving Theresa May the authority to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, in accordance with the EU referendum result on June 23rd last year. Seven months on, and the fate of EU nationals living and working in the UK, as well as British nationals in other...
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2016 was marked by a sharp rise in populist politics and has culminated in the UK vote to leave the EU and the election of Donald Trump in the US. In 2017, the French presidential election race has already been marred by a political scandal involving the right-wing candidate and presidential front-runner, François Fillon. He is...
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In October 2016 the former UK premier Tony Blair wrote an opinion article in The New European newspaper. He appealed to the UK not to rush into Brexit without seriously taking into account the consequences of such a decision. Tony Blair compared Brexit with a house move. For the former prime minister, it is only...
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An international arrest warrant has been ordered for the former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo amidst allegations that he received up to $20m in bribes from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. The former president would, in return, have granted a lucrative contract to build a transoceanic highway between Brazil and the Peruvian coast. Toledo would not...
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The fact that Theresa May, the UK prime minister, made an unprecedented appearance in the House of Lords speaks volumes over her respect for parliamentary democracy. It is now patently clear that the EU referendum that took place on June 23rd 2016 was flawed ever since the former prime minister, David Cameron, promised the vote...
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Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time once again for “Call My Bluff”. And here’s your host, Theresa May. Hello everybody, and welcome to this edition of “Call My Bluff”, a panel game in which three contestants give me a definition of a political word that I have never heard of. I must guess the true...
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The title of this post paraphrases something Margaret Thatcher said during the 1980 Conservative Party Conference. Having been asked on several occasions by the media whether she would perform a U-turn concerning her economic and social policies, she had always replied that she wasn’t one to change her mind. At the conference she spoke a...
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Books will soon be obsolete in schools. Scholars will soon be instructed through the eye. It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture. Our school system will be completely changed in ten years. – Thomas Edison – 1913 You’ve got to give Thomas Edison credit for his vision. Of...
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In prohibiting entry to two senior Turkish politicians, the Netherlands has sparked a serious dispute with Turkey. The decision not to allow Turkish politics to be officially expressed on Dutch soil can only be justified if the decision to do so is based on moral principles that can be as universally applied as possible, and...
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The result of the Dutch parliamentary elections, that took place on Wednesday 15th March, is a victory for the current prime minister, Mark Rutte. Although his party, the VVD, remain the largest political party in the Netherlands despite losing 8 parliamentary seats, Mark Rutte may face difficulties in forming a working coalition. It is probable...
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The British Press: Responsible but not guilty? When the offices of the French satirical journal Charlie Hebdo were gruesomely attacked in January 2015, the world was shocked, and rightly so. The attack focused on the press, one of the most sacred institutions of our democracies. The terrorists also challenged something that most of us...
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(III) Evolution And Decomposition Of French Politics The fact that there is no Republican candidate in the second round of the French presidential elections, coupled with the disintegration of the French socialists, underscores the fact that the French political landscape has undergone a seismic shift, for the first time in the long history of...
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From time to time, there is such a build-up to a mid-week football match, that you cannot wait for the Wednesday night. The build-up to this week’s French presidential debate promised a night of high drama, philosophical insights and antipodal ideologies. Instead, I was forced to watch the debate on my iPad, my son having...
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